Retrofitting a mall

A failed regional mall in Winter Park, Florida, was the subject of a redesign charrette in May, 1997. The consultants — Dover, Kohl & Partners, Gibbs Planning Group and Glatting Jackson Anglin Lopez Rinehart — proposed a two-step transformation “to unlock the potential of the site to become a genuine, lasting part of the urban village,” according to the plan. First, the plan calls for some buildings to be brought to the perimeter street, and for the creation of a short main street leading to the center of the property. “The interior of the development in this near-term scenario will look and function like a normal part of an urban village,” the plan reports. This near-term proposal, however, still leaves huge parking lots around much of the perimeter of the site, minimizing the connection to the surrounding community. The longer-term scenario envisions a time when light rail reaches Winter Park and tenants are willing to accept a lower ratio of parking to square footage. At that point, the perimeter of the site can be urbanized with main street type shops, integrating it with surrounding blocks. For more details, see Dover, Kohl & Partners' web site: www. doverkohl.com/wpmall.html.